The Washington Bears were an all-black professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team of the 1940s.

Sponsored by movie theater owner Abe Lichtman, the Bears played their home games at Turner's Arena

Turner's Arena

Turner's Arena was the name given to a 2,000 seat arena, located near the northeast corner of 14th and W Streets, NW in Washington, DC, and originally owned by local wrestling promoter Joe Turner. This venue was an early home to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, a precursor to World Wrestling...

 in Washington, DC. Most of the team was composed of former New York Renaissance

New York Renaissance

The New York Renaissance, also known as the Renaissance Big Five and as the Rens, was an all-black professional basketball team established February 13, 1923, by Robert "Bob" Douglas in agreement with the Renaissance Casino and Ballroom...

 players, such as Pop Gates

Pop Gates

William "Pop" Gates was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Decatur, Alabama and attended high school in New York, New York. After playing college basketball at Clark Atlanta University, he continued his basketball career in New York City with the Harlem Renaissance, for...

, Tarzan Cooper

Tarzan Cooper

Charles "Tarzan" Cooper was an American professional basketball player. He is mostly known for his time with the New York Renaissance ....

, Jackie Bethards

Jackie Bethards

Jackie Bethards was a pre-WWII African American professional basketball player from Philadelphia. As a boy Bethards played at the Christian Street YMCA along with Charles "Tarzan" Cooper, Zack Clayton, and Bill Yancey...

, and John Isaacs

John Isaacs

John Isaacs was an early African-American professional basketball player. Born in Panama but raised in New York City, he was a member of the New York Renaissance, the Washington Bears, and various other teams....

. In 1943, the Bears achieved a 41-0 record and won the World Professional Basketball Tournament

World Professional Basketball Tournament

World Professional Basketball Tournament was an invitational tournament for professional basketball teams in the United States held in Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Herald American. The annual event was held from 1939 to 1948...

, defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars

Oshkosh All-Stars

The Oshkosh All-Stars were a professional basketball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From 1937 to 1948 they played in the National Basketball League, a forerunner to the NBA. The team appeared in the NBL finals five consecutive years , winning twice...

in the championship game.